Sri Lanka

So after like 3 weeks into the New Year, I thought it was about time to blow off the dust and bring this place back to life after last year's hiatus.

Don't know if that was like my worst year blogging so far, but certainly not the one I would like to brag about. But what's done is done... and who knows, maybe this year will have a better outcome. No promises though, since they never work (there is nothing that works so badly as a New Year's resolution).

And the most proper way to start this year would be of course with cards received in 2019, which may not be much but are just enough for one blog post. :)

 The very first one is this lovely train card that Kiran sent me from his trip in Sri Lanka.
Dont know exactly which line this is, but it says that Taking the train is a great and inexpensive way to get around, the train journeys are real cultural experience and the most scenic routes will be highlights of your visit - in particular the wonderful journey from Colombo to Kandy and up into Tea County, and the coastal train ride from Colombo to Dutch colonial Galle.
British visitors will find the stations, signal boxes and old red semaphore signals very familiar.

Ok, I guess the rest of us will feel completely lost and puzzled then, wondering what kind of objects are those...

Kiran used two lovely stamps to match the card, issued in 2017 as part of the World Post Day.
The actual sheet is really fabulous btw...

Dambulla Rock Temple, Sri Lanka

well, as promised, here comes a new update shortly after the previous one....actually I planned to do it over the weekend, but for some reason Photbucket was having some issues (so in case you dropped by and all you could see were blank images, blame it on Photobucket, not me...)

on a side note, my assumptions regarding the most disappointing interview I have ever had, proved to be true and one really needs to have connections for everything....today I got that dreaded call of "I am sorry but we have chosen someone else..."  Oh well...

anyways, I will start today's update with a card dear Sissel sent me 4 years ago from her trip to Sri Lanka - I don't know if I had mentioned this previously, but I have kinda decided to start focusing more on the older cards cos otherwise, I will like never get to post them.....I will show some of the new ones received as well, however, the ratio would probably be more in favour to the older ones...

Sissel sent me this amazing Dambulla Rock Temple, a UNESCO whs in the central part of the country.
It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka with rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area and the major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and the Ganesha. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres. Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara, and Buddha's first sermon.

Prehistoric Sri Lankans would have lived in these cave complexes before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as there are burial sites with human skeletons about 2700 years old in this area, at Ibbankatuwa near the Dambulla cave complexes.

two stamps from the 2007 Constellations' issue of 12 stamps - here are the Aquarius and the Libra.

Tusen takk Sissel!!!!

Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

A nice cosy Sunday evening...and after the storm, it feels even more relaxing...and it just feels perfect to end the day with a post here...cos seriously, I really have a lot of catching up to do...so Ill just skip the chit chat too :)

First is a card I received from dear Sissel almost two years ago...when Sri Lanka was one of the cool places she got to visit...and of course sent me a bunch of surprises! ❤

And it is also a UNESCO whs! It's not so easy to get UNESCO cards from such exotic/rare countries, so this one feels even more special to me!

here you can see Polonnaruwa, that is considered to be the second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms. It was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader
In particular, this card gives us a view of the Polonnaruwa Vatadage, which is believed to have been built during the reign of Parakramabahu I to hold the tooth relic of the Buddha, or during the reign of Nissanka Malla to hold the alms bowl used by the Buddha. It is the best preserved example of a vatadage in the country, and has been described as the "ultimate development" of this type of architecture.

For those wondering, vatadage is simply a word referring to a type of Buddhist structure found in Sri Lanka, also known as dage, thupagara, and cetiyagara. Although it may have had some Indian influence, it is a structure that is more or less unique to ancient Sri Lankan architecture

I've seen these small stamps before, but just now I realized that they are zodiac related - issued in 2007 in a set of 16, representing different constellations, and here you can see the Cancer, the Gemini, the Libra and the Scorpio...the big stamp was issued in 2012, presenting a Sri Lankan insurance building

thanks again and again dear Sissel!

Galle, Sri Lanka

Well, back to the regular posting and for today I'll start with a great lighthouse from Sri Lanka

The Galle Lighthouse is situated within the fortifications of the Galle Fort.  Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British. It is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in South and South-East Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and South Asian traditions. And Galle is also a world heritage city, which means this is a new UNESCO added to my collection :D
It is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers

and to make it complete, the card comes with a matching stamp, showing the Galle lighthouse! It was issued on 26.12. 2005 on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Asian Tsunami.

Thank you Ravindra for the perfect card and stamp!

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

My second card from Sri Lanka ever...should i mention that i received my first one over ten years ago? So yeah, this is a little gem in my collection...moreover its counted as a UNESCO site! (the Ancient City of Sigiriya, if you want me to be more precise)

Here in particular, you can see frescoes, dating from the 5th Centruy AD.
About this particular site, it has been said that: "The whole face of the hill appears to have been a gigantic picture gallery... the largest picture in the world perhaps".
Although the frescoes are classified as in the Anuradhapura period, the painting style is considered unique, the line and style of application of the paintings differing from Anuradhapura paintings.
There are references in the graffiti to 500 ladies in these paintings. However, many more are lost forever, having been wiped out when the Palace once more became a Monastery so that they would not disturb meditation. Some more frescos different from the popular collection can be seen elsewhere on the rock surface, for example on the surface of the location called the "Cobra Hood Cave".

I like this card for a number of reasons...first, its from Sri Lanka....even though i appreciate and love all my cards coz what actually matters more to me is the thought and whats on the back of it, truth is,  we all have a weak spot for rare countries, and Sri Lanka can definitely be considered as one.
And this is a kind of a card which makes me read and read and look for information...cards which enlighten me in any kind are more than worthy.
Thanks a million to Ravi for sending it to me!

Sri Lanka